We conducted a social networking survey around our neighborhood for people 12-17. It included a variety of questions, and provided us with a lot of information. Here are some of our answers.
Among those we surveyed, the most common ages were between 13-15, and majority of those surveyed did, in fact, use social networking sites of some kind. Facebook was commonly used we found, while Myspace, Twitter, and others including email, were less common. However, our results show the popular video-sharing site of YouTube, the most common used site, 94% of people using it.
Also, we found parents very commonly used these sites, and they didn't care that their kids used social networking sites. Most kids also friended their parents on their profiles. Also in our parent-portion of the survey, 80% of parents DON'T look at their children's photos before they post them.
Another portion of our quiz had to do with the age restrictions on the social networking sites the surveyed people use. Less than 30% were completely unaware of the restrictions, while most of those surveyed were old enough to use the sites. Again, about 30% of those surveyed knew about the age restrictions but used the sites anyway.
A lot of our survey had to do with information users post on their personal profiles. Common things shown on profiles were real name, gender, and birthday. Photos were posted by 70% of users, and favorites (books, movies, music groups, ect.) were posted by 65% of users. Over 50% of people also posted their hometown and loctaion, and their school. With all this personal information posted, we are happy to report that about 86% of those surveyed DID have their profiles set to private from their non-friends.
Even though many have their profiles private from non-friends, nearly 40% of people surveyed added people they did not personally know as their friends, which means personal information was released to people they did not know, even if their profiles were private. However, we doubt the level on which these friends were personally known, because 37% of those surveyed had between 100-499 friends that they "personally know" friended on their profiles. How personally they knew these friends were not asked.
While part of our Think Quest's purpose was making more profiles safe, a third of those surveyed said they have been cyber bullied, though this question was one of the highest with a preferred not to answer result. The highest form of harassment with cyber-bullying was people posting mean lies about others on the internet. Of those who said they were bullied, many told only friends, while very few told their parents. About one third of those who answered said they know someone who has been physically or emotionally hurt on a social networking site.
In conclusion, even though social networking sites can cause problems, millions of people still use them. The number one reason to use social networking sites? Simply to keep in contact with friends!! Every single person surveyed answered friends as one of the reason to use these sites! So, our conclusion with our survey is that many know the dangers of social networking sites, but they will use them anyways. When used properly, social networking sites can be safe, fun, and a good way to connect with others.
We'd like you to take our survey, too. How do you use social networking sites? Click here to access our survey.
OUR SURVEY
We conducted a social networking survey around our neighborhood for people 12-17. It included a variety of questions, and provided us with a lot of information. Here are some of our answers.Among those we surveyed, the most common ages were between 13-15, and majority of those surveyed did, in fact, use social networking sites of some kind. Facebook was commonly used we found, while Myspace, Twitter, and others including email, were less common. However, our results show the popular video-sharing site of YouTube, the most common used site, 94% of people using it.
Also, we found parents very commonly used these sites, and they didn't care that their kids used social networking sites. Most kids also friended their parents on their profiles. Also in our parent-portion of the survey, 80% of parents DON'T look at their children's photos before they post them.
Another portion of our quiz had to do with the age restrictions on the social networking sites the surveyed people use. Less than 30% were completely unaware of the restrictions, while most of those surveyed were old enough to use the sites. Again, about 30% of those surveyed knew about the age restrictions but used the sites anyway.
A lot of our survey had to do with information users post on their personal profiles. Common things shown on profiles were real name, gender, and birthday. Photos were posted by 70% of users, and favorites (books, movies, music groups, ect.) were posted by 65% of users. Over 50% of people also posted their hometown and loctaion, and their school. With all this personal information posted, we are happy to report that about 86% of those surveyed DID have their profiles set to private from their non-friends.
Even though many have their profiles private from non-friends, nearly 40% of people surveyed added people they did not personally know as their friends, which means personal information was released to people they did not know, even if their profiles were private. However, we doubt the level on which these friends were personally known, because 37% of those surveyed had between 100-499 friends that they "personally know" friended on their profiles. How personally they knew these friends were not asked.
While part of our Think Quest's purpose was making more profiles safe, a third of those surveyed said they have been cyber bullied, though this question was one of the highest with a preferred not to answer result. The highest form of harassment with cyber-bullying was people posting mean lies about others on the internet. Of those who said they were bullied, many told only friends, while very few told their parents. About one third of those who answered said they know someone who has been physically or emotionally hurt on a social networking site.
In conclusion, even though social networking sites can cause problems, millions of people still use them. The number one reason to use social networking sites? Simply to keep in contact with friends!! Every single person surveyed answered friends as one of the reason to use these sites! So, our conclusion with our survey is that many know the dangers of social networking sites, but they will use them anyways. When used properly, social networking sites can be safe, fun, and a good way to connect with others.
We'd like you to take our survey, too. How do you use social networking sites? Click here to access our survey.